InstaPORN — Pornography has become a staple on the site in spite of Instagram’s stringent policy otherwise. Their Community Guidelines claim:

We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.

Yet, as one recent Forbes article puts it, Instagram is chock full of pornography. It’s true. Not only do various users randomly inject nudity into their posts, but if you do a search for flagrant terms that one might type if searching for sexy pics, your smartphone is likely to melt in your hand. Oh, and virtually every porn star in the adult entertainment industry has an Instagram account.

Yes, most the sexy pics that make it to the site are about an inch from hardcore pornography, but some of the hardcore stuff slips through. Parents just need to be aware that Insta isn’t as PG as they might have thought.

Keep in mind, like other social media sites, users only need to be 13 to own an account. Perhaps that’s why Protect Young Eyes, an online watch group, has submitted complaints to Instagram calling for action over the rampant amount of porn found on their platform.

But porn isn’t Instagram’s only problem that negatively affects its users’ lives.

InstaSLAM — Bullying is as old as humanity; cyberbullying is as old as the internet. But evidently, some corners of the web can be more heinous than others…and it looks like Instagram is a place where young users routinely get slammed.

The Atlantic wrote an article about Instagram’s cyberbullying problem earlier this week and claimed that Instagram was rolling out “a set of new features aimed at combating bullying, including comment filters on live videos, machine-learning technology to detect bullying in photos, and a ‘kindness camera effect to spread positivity.’”

Keep in mind, every bit of research out there reveals that mom and dad still have the greatest impact on how their “bullied” kids feel about themselves. That’s why we just launched the brand new site, BullyingBreakthrough.com, with the release of Jonathan McKee’s new book of the same title, to encourage and equip parents to help their kids who are being “slammed” on apps like Instagram.

So how should parents respond when they keep reading about all the distractions on Insta?

The Best Filter — Should parents have their kids immediately delete the Instagram app from their phones? No, not necessarily. Instagram can be a great way to connect with family and even chronicle life in meaningful ways. However, it’s also being misused by millions of kids who are negatively impacting themselves and others. So what can we do to help our kids avoid these problems on Insta?

Well, we can’t rely on Instagram, itself. It’s obvious that Instagram can’t police themselves; they’ve failed to keep up with changing patterns of use and their guidelines has to be updated on a continual basis, as a result. How about software and filters? Can parents totally trust them to keep their kids safe? No and no. I’m not saying parents shouldn’t use them; I’m only saying they aren’t foolproof.

My suggestion to families concerned about Instagram is to use the best filter available: parents.

David R. Smith

David R. Smith is the author of several books including Christianity... It's Like This and speaks to parents and leaders across the U.S. David is a 15-year youth ministry veteran, now a senior pastor, who specializes in sharing the gospel, and equipping others do the same. David provides free resources to anyone who works with teenagers on his website, DavidRSmith.org David resides with his wife and son in Tampa, Florida.